Tatiana Bachkirova

Teacher Stress and Personal Values: An Exploratory Study

This article presents the first stage of a small-scale research project into the relationship between teacher stress and personal values. It starts by outlining the problem of teacher stress and an overview of the literature investigating the sources of it. A particular combination of factors related to personal values that may increase vulnerability to stress is then suggested and a research project conducted to investigate this idea is described. The results of the research are discussed in the light of the relevant literature. Finally a speculative interpretation of the results is presented together with some tentative recommendations in relation to stress for individual teachers.

Theoretical Traditions and Coaching Genres: Mapping the Territory

The Problem The interdisciplinary nature of the theoretical base of coaching creates practical approaches that are strongly influenced by organization-friendly theories, and fields such as counseling, psychotherapy, and philosophy. This eclectic use of theory creates uncertainty and sometimes leads to criticisms of coaching as being atheoretical and underdeveloped empirically. So, it is a difficult task for human resource development (HRD) professionals and particularly buyers of coaching to judge the relevance of numerous traditions of coaching and evaluate them for their HRD agenda. The Solution We highlight the theoretical foundations of coaching and develop a structural analysis of coaching engagement to indicate the potential interplay between organizational and individual agendas and to help HRD professionals become better informed about the value of coaching in the context of wider HRD paradigms. The Stakeholders HRD professionals, external coaches, internal coaches, and line managers who use a coaching approach, peer coaches, and leaders will benefit from the content of this article.

Many ways of knowing: how to make sense of different research perspectives in studies of coaching

In this editorial we want to address potential difficulties that you as a reader may encounter when presented with papers that come from very different disciplinary traditions or researched from ve...

The evolution of coaching: an Interview with Sir John Whitmore

Abstract Dear John You are probably the best-known person amongst coaches all over the world. Your book Coaching for Performance has been one of the first from which most newcomers in this field are most likely to start their professional journey. At the same time, since this book was published, the field has changed significantly. One of the aspects of this change is signified by this journal that has a specific purpose to involve international community of coaches in further development of this field. We would like to know your thoughts on the agenda of coaching nowadays and its theory, research and practice. So we want to build our interview around the title of our journal.

Spinning order from chaos: how do we know what to study in coaching research and use it for self-reflective practice?

Welcome to the first issue of the second year of Coaching: An International Journal of Theory, Research & Practice. We now continue in our tradition of addressing important questions about the role of theory and research for the practice of coaching in our editorials. One of our priorities has been to explore ‘why’ and ‘how’ coaching research relates to the larger picture of practice. In our first year we have explored issues on why research matters what having sound theory, research and practice means for the emerging profession of coaching (Kauffman & Bachkirova, 2008a). In the second issue of volume one, we described that there are many ways of knowing that inform different approaches to research. For instance, there are highly technical quantitative designs and alternatively highly rigorous qualitative methods that allow deep exploration of the content and processes of coaching (Kauffman & Bachkirova, 2008b). Now, in our third issue we explore ‘the what’ of coaching research to advance the field what exactly should we study? In this editorial we look at a simple overview of various areas of study. But first, we address a more controversial issue what factors influence what researchers choose to study and if that process should be influenced.

The blind men and the elephant: using criteria of universality and uniqueness in evaluating our attempts to define coaching

In our previous editorials we have examined a range of issues that are relevant to coaches, academics and researchers on coaching. We have welcomed wholeheartedly a wide variety of perspectives on coaching in our journal believing that the richness of perspectives contributes to the development of this field. But underneath the diversity of approaches the assumption was made that we all meant reasonably the same thing when we use the word ‘coaching’. In this issue of Coaching: An International Journal of Theory, Research & Practice, however, we would like to engage you in the conversation what exactly do we all mean by coaching? Do we have something similar in mind when we use the word? We believe that whether we are involved in theory, research or practice, it will serve us to examine the definition of what we do and how our explicit or implicit ideas about identity of coaching affect us. A scan of the literature and websites of professional bodies reveals that very different definitions of coaching are suggested (see examples in this text and Table 1). Initially presented definitions seem to be evolving, and new ones surface regularly. We imagine that each coach has some internal working definition of what he or she offers. Sometimes this definition is clearly articulated; other times it still informs the interventions we make, how we describe our sessions, and how we sell our services. Most of us can probably recall an experience of frustration when trying to explain to someone who does not know much about coaching, what it is and what we actually do. What we explore in this editorial is that the challenge is not just semantic or the proper definitions are just difficult to convey. The struggle to describe what we do goes much deeper in the difficulty to establish a clear identity of coaching in principle as a practice or process. Various authors openly suggest that confusion on the definition of coaching impacts on our professionalism. ‘ . . . there is a lack of clarity as to what professional coaching really is and what makes for an effective or reputable coach’ (Sherman, & Freas, 2004, p. 84). Others suggest that worrying about definitions is not a significant problem; it is the results that count. Cavanagh (interview in this issue) even suggests that ‘blurriness’ may even foster the development and evolution of coaching as our profession grapples with the crises that the world is facing in economy and the environment. In this editorial we will try to make issues regarding the process of defining coaching more explicit. Several articles in this issue of the journal are also devoted to this topic offering new research findings and suggesting new ways of identifying coaching. By participating in this conversation we will hopefully increase our understanding of one another and of our experiences thus helping to accumulate knowledge about coaching. We hope this will help to foster the process by which each new professional practice refines its conceptual apparatus which is necessary for

An International Journal of Theory, Research & Practice: why does it matter?

The purpose and intention of this journal is to equip coaches with an overview of current knowledge in the field of coaching. Why does it matter? Coaching is now becoming a more mature profession. As a two billion dollar a year industry with deep market penetration, we no longer have to defend our services from scratch or patiently explain how we are different from sport coaches. However, these advances have led directly to new challenges. Potential clients are now more informed and demanding. They have much higher expectations. In response, coaches need to be able to frame their services with ever increasing clarity. They need to have more information at their fingertips including the ability to be transparent about the theoretical underpinnings and empirical bases of their coaching; being cognizant of research on coaching and having greater awareness of best practices. Coaching: An International Journal of Theory, Research and Practice is created in order to consolidate the collective knowledge and experience from the world-wide coaching community and to make it available to our readership. Our goal is for practicing coaches to feel supported by a stronger and broader knowledge base and for academics and researchers to be informed by the needs, interests and experiences of those working in the field. We hope that collectively we will enhance understanding of the core issues of coaching and at the same time increase capacities to market and deliver our services. Each semi-annual issue will offer conceptual and research papers to advance understanding of these areas and also case presentations, reflections and interviews with well-known leaders in the coaching field. Another important issue that needs to be addressed in this journal is considering how we can participate in the overall development of this field. What are our primary challenges, responsibilities and opportunities? In this respect, the purpose of the journal is to provide a forum for high-level dialogue about current and future directions of the profession. We hope to attract the main thought and practice leaders from around the world to participate by publishing articles focusing on central topics of concern for coaches. Each issue will have articles about the current state and future development of the profession including reports of how coaching is evolving in specific countries. However, without hearing from our readers, the discussion is hollow. We hope that in this journal practitioners will have an opportunity to discuss what is important to them. As editors we would like you to be active in the process. What areas would you like us to explore? Are there particular theories, research or areas of practice that you would like to learn more about? If so, we can draw on the global

Coaching is the ultimate customizable solution: an interview with David Peterson

Abstract Dear David You have been a true pioneer in the coaching field from 1990 to the point of being Senior Vice President at Personnel Decisions International. Your substantial contribution to this field includes many articles and best-selling books on coaching such as Development FIRST and Leader as Coach. We also know about your valuable PhD study in which nearly four hundred business leaders were rated by bosses, self, and coach before coaching, after coaching, and 1-2 years later. Amongst many other important features this outcome-study included experimental controls (people were rating non-coaching items about the person). We know how committed you are to making coaching as efficient as possible and we believe that our readers would love to know more about your thoughts on this.

Self-deception in coaches: an issue in principle and a challenge for supervision

This article describes an exploratory study aimed at investigating factors contributing to the phenomenon of self-deception in coaches. Six experienced coaching supervisors were interviewed in accordance with the Conceptual Encounter research methodology. The results are presented in a model of self-deception in coaches. The model consists of three main sections, which include the nature of self-deception, contextual influences on self-deception and the focused influence on self-deception in coaching supervision. These themes are discussed in light of the structural analysis of the literature on self-deception performed from a pragmatic perspective. The paper concludes by considering how the results of the study add to current debates on the nature of self-deception and what implications the findings might have for coaches, coaching supervisors and other practitioners engaged in the development of individuals in organisations.

Cognitive-developmental approach to coaching: an interview with Robert Kegan

Dear Bob, Your work on the evolution of consciousness and its implications for supporting adult learning and professional development is very important for coaching. I believe that most coaches hold dear to their heart the idea of the possibility and necessity of ongoing psychological transformation in adulthood and the need for a better fit between adult capacities and the hidden demands of modern life. It is not surprising then that your approach to understanding adult development, well known as a meaningful and coherent theory, now is in the process of creating its own niche in coaching practice. I would like this process to be the focus of our interview.